Holly Conrad's five easy steps to cosplay success!

So, you wanna cosplay?

My name is Holly Conrad; I've been cosplaying for eleven years
and I'm here to tell you about the wonderful world of cosplay! If
you're reading this article (which you undoubtedly are), you're
interested in dressing up, making stuff, and being one of your
favorite characters for hours on end at a convention. It's not an
easy task, but it's definitely a rewarding one, and that's not
just because of all the cool scars and blisters you'll get from
making a costume--it's because of the fun you'll have becoming a
character, meeting new friends, and being hugely awesome. So,
let's get started with my five easy steps to cosplay success!

Step One: Cosplay Whoever You Want

My first rule of cosplay is you can be whoever you want.
Regardless of your age, race, gender, size, you can be WHOEVER
you want. And if someone tells you otherwise, look them in the
eye, strike a sassy pose, and tell them they're wrong (and also
totally no fun at all). This is a hobby for you to feel awesome
about yourself and to learn new skills and make friends, not be
judged or bullied.

Step Two: Obsession Is Your Energy Drink

You'll have a lot of late nights cosplaying. Sometimes those late
nights are only fueled by Taco Bell and the love of the character
you're cosplaying as. When you drift off to sleep on your garage
floor at 5 am surrounded by a pile of cut pieces of foam and glue,
you want to know that when you make that pile into armor you're
going to feel like the most awesome badass that ever walked this
planet. Loving a character, loving your fandom, and wanting to be
a part of that at a convention will help you go that extra mile
that no energy drink or cheap taco will do.

Step Three: Google-fu

Once you have a character and you know what you want to be, now
is your time to take to the Internet. Many cosplayers have
released e-books (including Kamui Cosplay and Punished Props on how to make armor. Forums like the Replica Prop Forum can get you in touch with
industry professionals who make props for a living, and sites
like Tested give you amazing build blogs to look over. YouTube
has a plethora of sewing tutorials, casting tutorials, and so
many more. The Internet is your friend, and its cornucopia of
tutorials will turn into your bathroom reading faster than you
can say, "Glue gun burn".

Step Four: Failure Is Your Senpai

Cosplay is about learning; it's about figuring out what
works, what absolutely does not work, and what should be buried and
forgotten forever. Don't be afraid! My solution to this is to
cosplay with friends. Find a group, get your parents to help out,
have people around you to laugh jovially when you try to age a
cloak and accidentally set it on fire in your driveway. These
things are going to happen, and they will be a learning
experience (and great bar stories). So never give up, never
surrender.

Step Five: The Power Is Yours

Just like Captain Planet says, you have the power to ignore, and
educate, haters. Let's say your Wonder Woman costume is done,
you're ready to go to a convention, and suddenly, Ethel, your
co-worker at the Kwik-e-Mart asks why you're doing something so
"nerdy and unordinary." This is when you ask Ethel about that
time she went to the Raiders game and painted herself black and
white and wore armor with 5 inch spikes on the shoulders. She
will say, "Yes, but that's a sports game," and you will respond, "You're
a fan of sports, you dress up to show you're a fan. I'm a fan of
Wonder Woman, I dress up to show I'm a fan. It's the same thing."
You then drop your mic, kick a speaker off the stage, put on deal-with-it sunglasses, and ride out on a raptor breathing fire.

Now, you're ready to cosplay!

Well, I mean you have to make the
costume first. But with these five easy steps, it won't be any
problem. No matter what, you are going to have a blast. Oh!
Here's a few more tips: stay hydrated, put gel inserts in your
shoes, bring energy bars, and put a pocket on your costume for a
cell phone. You'll need to be able to call Ethel and tell her
what an awesome time you're having while you and your
deal-with-it raptor ride off into the sunset.

Born from a family of artists and out-of-the-box thinkers, Holly
Conrad cites her first cosplay experience at the age of four when
she strapped a pillow to her back and called herself a koopa.
Mentored by her grandfather, Dorse Lanpher, a pioneer in visual
effects animation with Disney and Don Bluth Productions, Holly
grew up in Redlands, CA as a gifted illustrator, artist, and
self-taught costume designer.

After graduating with a degree in Medieval History (and Sorcery)
from University of California, Santa Barbara, Holly switched
career paths and began working in special effects shops for
clients like Disney, Universal, Machinima, Warner Brothers and
productions like Robot Chicken and Titan Maximum, the latter of
which won an Emmy for costume design. In 2010, she co-founded a
company with her best friend Jessica Merizan called Crabcat
Industries. Crabcat focuses on promoting an inclusive teaching
community to build costumes, props, and practical special effects
as well as new-media entertainment with the brands "Try This At
Home", "Commander Holly", and "Jessica Marzipan".

Holly is stationed in Los Angeles and lives with her husband
Ross, an animator, and her precocious cats Doctor Orpheus and
Mojo. She is currently on the SyFy show Heroes of Cosplay with
her partner in crime, Jessica.

I'd like to give this a try; I found this article very motivating. Also, what a cool degree!

raimichick
said this
403 days ago.

Hi!
Thank you for your insight! What a great guide to read.
These tips are very much in line with how I make costumes. Personally, I don't "do" known characters. I make my own characters up and run with them. I can't "not look like" a character that I made up!
That's not to say that great love and effort doesn't go into recreations of anime and pop culture characters.
Admittedly, I stay away from "Heroes of Cosplay" (and reality shows in general), but seeing and reading this, I will give the show a chance now.
Happy Cosplaying!

oddist1971
said this
402 days ago.

"You then drop your mic, kick a speaker off the stage, put on deal-with-it sunglasses, and ride out on a rator breathing fire." This may be the greatest thing I have ever read.

RK9
said this
373 days ago.

I loooooooveeeee Holly Conrad, seriously my favorite cosplayer on Heroes. Thanks for posting these tips, I'm hoping to get the courage to one day dress up as my favorite characters.

Phesto79
said this
373 days ago.

So awesome... this is one of the many reasons why I'm such a huge fan of Holly & Crabcat Industries!!

christine426
said this
373 days ago.

Good tips, especially about the phone pocket. It can be hard to conceal but you'll thank your self when you're struttin' around the con floor! Shoes have always been the most tricky for me; gotta look right but more important is COMFORT!! Nothing kills your spirit for cosplay like tip-toeing around in agony because you wore uncomfortable shoes. Hair is also a quick kill for a cosplay character. If you have the resources i suggest biting the bullet at investing in a decent wig (when appropriate). Just remember, every great cosplayer had to start somewhere so even if it's not perfect go out there and show the world how much you love what ever it is you love!

bequito
said this
373 days ago.

Thanks soooo much for the awesome tips! My daughter and I just started cosplaying recently and we're having a blast! Although we have a tendency to want things to be perfect, we'll have to work on that &#128540;

MzLycan
said this
371 days ago.

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